The Next Senator From Minnesota?

Start watching at 9:20. My favorite Al Franken scene–from the 1983 cinematic masterpiece, Trading Places.

Al Franken has been certified the winner by the state’s canvassing board. In the Capitol just a few moments ago, Democrat Harry Reid said it was all over. Republican Mitch McConnell said it won’t be over until the coming litigation is resolved. Either way, this has been a good day for Franken.

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  • dumdedumdum

    based on the clip, what committee assignments should Franken expect?

  • plukasiak

    McConnell is threatening a filibuster over Franken… but my question is under what rules does the Senate operate when it initially convenes? Isn’t it necessary for the new Senate to pass the rule that allows for filibusters each term — and aren’t those kinds of organizing resolutions only considered once the membership has been sworn in?

  • newfloridian

    Looking forward to Senator Franken bringing a little humor to the often too tight laced Senate.

  • sevenoaks07

    pl: I am surprised by your question on Senate rules. Tell me more.

  • michaelscherer

    Dumdedum, Intelligence.

  • mccainfluffer

    The Republicans are acting lick sore losers. They need to get over it and move along.

  • mccainfluffer

    LIKE sore losers

    My kingdom for an edit feature!

  • rose83

    This is good news for Burris.

  • http://pourmecoffee.blogspot.com pourmecoffee

    There are at least a dozen Senators who will not be able to conceal their outright hatred for Franken, probably including some Democrats. This should bring the Senate even closer to achieving oneness with Junior High School. Fun!

  • http://pourmecoffee.blogspot.com pourmecoffee

    Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said Monday that he does not believe Democrat Al Franken has “a legal right” to claim victory in the Minnesota Senate recount. [Link]

    Get ready to gag.

  • Cliff

    In the Capitol just a few moments ago, Democrat Harry Reid said it was all over.
    .
    Judging by Reid’s track record, this means that litigation will drag on for another eight months and end with Franken getting kicked out of office.

  • lk312

    Well, Al Franken is good enough, smart enough and doggone it, people [in Minnesota] like him!

  • bobcn1

    So McConnell refuses to allow Franken to be seated provisionally (as has normally been done in past contested elections)? He wants to continue to deny Franken his seat until Coleman gets tired of filing (and losing) lawsuits?
    .
    The GOP appears to be pushing their veto power into creative new areas. If they lose an election they just block the guy that beat them. Apparently, they’ve learned nothing from the last two election cycles.
    .
    Could someone please file a lawsuit contesting McConnell’s election (and Cornyn’s, etc.). It doesn’t have to be a good one. It can be just as frivolous as some of Coleman’s recent complaints have been. Let’s refuse to seat McConnell(using his own ridiculous standard) until he realizes that the seat is the property of the voters — not the property of an unprincipled political hack. Or until we get tired of filing lawsuits :-)

  • Paul-no not that one

    “Republican Mitch McConnell said it won’t be over until the coming litigation is resolved”
    .
    Technically he is right. State law has any final certification (Governor and Sec of State signing off) held until all legal challenges have been resolved.

  • gysgt213

    Michael-Mitch is the real leader of the senate. So I until he says so it ain’t over.

  • gysgt213

    “There are at least a dozen Senators who will not be able to conceal their outright hatred for Franken, probably including some Democrats.”
    .
    What are the democrats going to do. Glare or send a sternly worded letter?

  • Paul-no not that one

    “There are at least a dozen Senators who will not be able to conceal their outright hatred for Franken, probably including some Democrats”
    .
    What in heavens name are you talking about? The republicans I couldn’t care less about but why do you say some Democrats? The guy has raised money for any Democrat who ever asked over the years.

  • gysgt213

    Kudos to David Schuster for having Jane Hamsher on from Firedoglake.

  • http://pourmecoffee.blogspot.com pourmecoffee

    I think Franken’s kind of a dick and, despite policy agreement, he will be disliked by the old Villagers. I’m all for him since he votes my way, but we’ve certainly learned about how the Senate works this year, and I’m just saying that in my opinion Franken will be stirring up personality conflicts and it should be fun to watch.

  • Paul-no not that one

    Okay thanks.

  • gysgt213

    Spencer Ackerman reports that Sen. Dianne Feinstein is upset with the selection of Panetta, petulantly complaining that she wasn’t consulted in advance and that it would be best to have an “intelligence professional” in that position. CQ’s Tim Starks reports that Sen. Jay Rockefeller is making very similar noises about this selection. Few things could reflect better on Panetta’s selection than the fact that Feinstein and Rockefeller — two of the most Bush-enabling Senators — are unhappy with it.
    .
    Feinstein and Rockefeller can go f**k themselves.
    .
    http://washingtonindependent.com/23827/dianne-feinstein-not-too-pleased-with-panetta-pick

  • dunedweller

    Franken’s good at defusing bombs (metaphorically). I listened to his show on Air America back in the day, and always enjoyed his unique way of using humor, curiosity and calm intelligence to methodically defuse crazy right-wing attack dogs. This should serve him well in the senate.

  • gysgt213

    “I’m just saying that in my opinion Franken will be stirring up personality conflicts and it should be fun to watch.”
    .
    Franken first speech on the Senate floor should tell all the old timer demos to pull their damn pants up from around their ankles and act like they have a pair.

  • sevenoaks07

    If Feinstein and Rockefeller are swideswiped then that means Obama has got it right. These two clowns are Bush’ prime Democratic enablers. Suck on it!

  • Paul-no not that one

    Franken ran as much to pick up Wellstone’s legacy as anything else. And that legacy is more about hard work than firebrand speeches.
    I would also expect a ton of work on Vet Affairs. Work that Wellstone was extremely effective at and Coleman blew off.

  • gysgt213

    The liberal media hates themselves some Ann Coulter. Awe!!
    .
    http://gawker.com/5124041/liberal-media-wont-help-poor-ann-coulter-plug-her-book

  • Paul-no not that one

    Greenwald on the two senators response to the Panetta pick-
    .
    Spencer Ackerman reports that Sen. Dianne Feinstein is upset with the selection of Panetta, petulantly complaining that she wasn’t consulted in advance and that it would be best to have an “intelligence professional” in that position. CQ’s Tim Starks reports that Sen. Jay Rockefeller is making very similar noises about this selection. Few things could reflect better on Panetta’s selection than the fact that Feinstein and Rockefeller — two of the most Bush-enabling Senators — are unhappy with it.

  • http://pourmecoffee.blogspot.com pourmecoffee

    “Petulantly?” He’ll want that word back.

  • terrymck

    lk312 @ 12 said: Well, Al Franken is good enough, smart enough and doggone it, people [in Minnesota] like him!
    .
    A fellow Minnesotan reminded me Coleman lost both of his full-campaign elections, one to Jesse The Body Ventura and now to Saturday Night Live comedian Al Franken. The only national election he’s won was the one-month, lackluster campaign against stand-in Fritz Mondale after the death of Wellstone. Is there anything left of his ego?

  • terrymck

    EDIT: “…lackluster campaign BY stand-in Fritz Mondale…”

  • formerlyjames

    MS, I am your most staunch defender and fan. This complaint may seem petty, but why do you always post multiple blogs at one time when I am still trying to catch up on previous blogs on Swamp? Why don’t you space them out a little?

  • formerlyjames

    Al Franken is good enough, he is smart enough, and doggonit, people like him. And Rush is a Big Fat Idiot.

  • gysgt213

    File under: Are you f**king kidding me.
    .
    Restore the Senate’s Treaty Power
    .
    By JOHN R. BOLTON and JOHN YOO
    .
    http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/opinion/05bolton.html?_r=2

  • formerlyjames

    gunny, I fall down laughing. That is a hoot. Yoo and Bolton discoursing on the rule of law and the role of the Congress. Did they take a remedial legal course after leaving the Bush syndicate?

  • gysgt213

    “Did they take a remedial legal course after leaving the Bush syndicate?”
    .
    Either that or they were both fast traked through the re-education camp.

  • yutsano

    Dear God I’m so glad I wasn’t on lunch and eating when I read that. My chicken taco salad tastes too good to heave up at that dreck Gunny. It was almost Wonderlandish, where in the Hades do they get off saying they WANT to restore Congressional power after eight years of systematically undermining it?
    -
    On topic, bully for Al. Norm Coleman would be a weasel but that would be an insult to weasels. At the very least the courts will be rather loathe to upset the apple cart of the Canvassing Board’s work (one should hope) and Al should have a certification by the end of January. Unless Pawlenty turns major slimeball and decides to tell the voters to politely phuck off cause he ain’t signing off.

  • http://www.wernerpatels.com Werner Patels

    Sorry, but this is extremely bad news. Franken is not competent enough to be in politics. He’s a joke — and I mean this in the worst possible way. I supported Obama all the way, and I also wanted the Dems to win as many seats as possible, but this is one race the Dems should have lost, for their own sake. Franken was a zero in his previous attempts at a career, and now it’ll be taxpayers for his mistakes.

  • Casey Morris

    Werner Patels@37: The qualification and competency questions always confuse me. A commenter cliams someone is not qualified or competent, but then fails to give any evidence or support for such a claim. So let me help you out here with some facts. I’ll list Franken’s bio, and you point out wherein the evidence lies of his incompetence or disqualification:
    _

    Franken was born in New York, the son of Phoebe G. Kunst, a homemaker and real estate agent, and Joseph P. Franken, a printing salesman.[9][10] Franken had a Jewish upbringing[11] and grew up in St. Louis Park, a suburb near Minneapolis. He is a cousin of MSNBC’s Bob Franken.[12] His older brother, Owen Franken, is a photojournalist. Franken attended St. Louis Park High School until the 10th grade. He graduated in 1969 from The Blake School, where he was on the wrestling team. He attended Harvard College and graduated cum laude in 1973 with a bachelor of arts degree in general studies. In 2003, Franken served as a Fellow with Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government at the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy.

    _

    Again, which part here decries his ability to run and serve? If nothing I’ve supplied meets you needs, perhaps you could supply us with something else to support your statement.

  • newfloridian

    Werner Patels:

    Have to disagree with you. First Franken is a very well respected comedy writer. He was one of the original Saturday Night writers 1975-1980 during the best years of SNL. He received 7 Emmy nominations and three Emmys for television writing and production. He returned for 10 years from 1985-95 as both a writer and performer. Lorne Michaels wanted him to succeed him as SNL head producer in 1980. I hardly think that qualifies as a zero. I don’t have an Emmy in my bookcase, do you?

    Anyway it’s on to the Senate. The guy is crackerjack bright and can use humor to defuse situations. He has an astute political mind and probably will make a great Senator. Will he rub some the wrong way.. I am sure the Republicans will hate dealing with him, as he is likely to chew them up in deabtes. Expect to see him on many of the political talk shows showcasing Democratic positions and countering Republican positions.

  • billiecat

    @37 – Sorry, gotta disagree with you. Franken works hard to understand issues and isn’t just a jokester. I don’t expect him to be a big mover and shaker, but from the way he did the hard work to get elected I think he has a clear understanding of what this job is. He’ll be as good a Senator as Fred Thompson, anyway.

  • billiecat

    ugh – “At worst he’ll be as good a senator as Fred Thompson was, anyway.”
    .
    PREVIEW, dammit!

  • http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2009/01/06/the-loser-now-will-be-later-to-win/ Swampland – TIME.com » Blog Archive The Loser Now Will Be Later To Win «

    [...] letters addressed to “Limo for a Lame-O.”) Ignore the hilarious Franken scene from Trading Places, posted below, which climaxes with a gorilla raping a man, or the 1995 skit he kicked around at SNL that would [...]

  • http://time.postdown.com/2009/01/06/the-loser-now-will-be-later-to-win/ Time » Blog Archive » The Loser Now Will Be Later To Win

    [...] to “Limo for a Lame-O.”) Ignore the hilarious Franken scene from Trading Places, posted below, which climaxes with a gorilla raping a man, or the 1995 skit he kicked around at SNL that would [...]

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